World Dyed BloodRed
by DemonicDragoness
Summary: From the beginning of their relationship their lives had been dyed blood-red. Kenpachi and Yachiru. Rated T for some violence and bloodshed.
1. The Beginning

Disclaimer: I love bleach, but I don't own it. : (

Chapter 1: The Beginning

by DemonicDragoness

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"No, don't hurt her, you monster!" screamed a high, frightened voice. A pair of trembling arms clutched a tiny toddler closer to the voice.

"Shut up, woman! Yeh rich filth, orderin' us poor folk 'round! No more!" This voice was coarse and slurred. The toddler could smell sake in his breath, he was so close. Suddenly, two rough hands tore her away from her mother's arms, and with a squeal she fell to the floor. She heard a scream, soon cut off with a wet thud, and felt warm liquid on her cheeks. Wailing and scared, she opened her eyes, which had been clenched tight in fear. A figure loomed over her, but she saw only his bloodstained outline through her tear-filled eyes. The sake smell overwhelmed her.

"Stupid brat, shut yer whinin' trap!" The baby closed her eyes again and kept wailing. The man's arm came down on her head and she was floating away and away.

She woke up in a dark forest. The toddler was scared; she'd never been here before. There were rustling sounds that seemed to be getting closer. They stopped next to her.

"Hey, what's this!" A man reeking of unwashed crouched by her

"It's jus' a brat, leave it." A second man tugged on the first's sleeve.

"Don' tell meh what ta do, teme! Yeah, duh it's a brat, bu' she's a pretty 'un. Some fat rich lady'd wan' 'er. Bu' I en't sharin' with yew!"

"Yeah? 'Ow 'bout we fight for 'er?" The second man unsheathed a rusty sword.

"Bring it on, teme!"

Metal screams filled the air, and the toddler watched as blood splattered around her. It fell like red rain.


	2. From an Even Deeper Darkness

Disclaimer: I love Bleach, but I don't own it : ( Some passages of this chapter are taken from Vol. 13 of Bleach by Tite Kubo.

Chapter 2: Savior from an Even Deeper Darkness

by DemonicDragoness

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Swords were fighting nearby. He could hear it, sense it, and taste the coppery blood in the air. He always knew when fighting was nearby.

There, a clearing in the trees. Two Kusajishi bums venting testosterone, most likely.

"You guys strong?" he asked. They stopped, looked at him. Then one grinned, showing off mostly rotted teeth.

"Wanna find out?" he asked. Huh. Cheeky. The newcomer's only response was a ready stance. As though there was some unspoken signal, the three men sprung into action.

The toddler nearby was forgotten by the previously eager to sell men.

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Later the victorious newcomer sat on a rock, contemplating his last two kills. _Pah, _he thought, _they were barely a challenge, even together._

The toddler looked at the one who had saved her from the greedy men. He was big, bigger than any person she'd seen before. Curious, but now unafraid, she crawled closer, and put a hand on his foot. It was easily half her size. The man looked at her.

"Where'd you come from, kid?" She placed a hand on the man's jagged, bloodstained weapon.

"That's a sword. Doesn't it scare you?" The baby said nothing. "It's for killing people. It could kill you too." She took her hand away, but giggled. Her hand was stained red. _She could be a good fighter, someday. She's not scared of blood, or swords. Either that or she's too young to understand._

"Kid, what's your name?" She looked at him, baffled. Name? She couldn't remember. All she remembered was the blood. "Don't you have one?" She said nothing.

"Neither do I."


	3. Who He Admired

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, and some phrases here are taken from Bleach Vol. 13 by Tite Kubo.

This chapter is dedicated to rinda, my first reviewer.

Chapter 3: My Name is from Who He Admired

by DemonicDragoness

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_  
This girl has to be new,_ he decided. _No baby could survive very long in Kusajishi forest. She's around the age I was when Yachiru saved me in Zaraki. Yachiru… _He looked at the girl.

"Yachiru… it's the name of the only person I ever admired." The toddler stood up and looked at him with wide eyes. "It's your name now." She clapped her hands.

"Chiru!" she said.

"I'm Kenpachi, the title usually given to the strongest shinigami. That's going to be my name from now on." _And I will be the strongest one day._

"Ken!" He looked at the gir- no, at Yachiru. She was reaching up at him with both hands, an obvious plea to be held.

"Alright, I'll pick you up. But no calling me Ken-chan or something cute like that." He hoisted her onto his shoulder.

"Ken-chan! Ken-chan!" she giggled. Yachiru liked the sound of it. Ken-chan frowned at her.

"Great, I got you started." She looked at him innocently, and then yanked hard on his hair. "You little brat!" Her face became even more innocent, and she wiped her blood smeared hand… on his face.

"Ugg, that ain't healthy. Come on, lets clean up, Yachiru." He stood up, Yachiru still perched on his shoulder, and began walking. "I'm sure there's a stream somewhere around here."

They walked around for a few hours, Kenpachi turning a random direction ever so often. After the fourth hour he looked at Yachiru and asked, "You don't happen to know where a stream is, do you, kid?" She giggled and pointed south. "Alright, let's go that way."

A few minutes later, to Kenpachi's surprise, there was a tiny stream flowing through the trees.

"Huh. Nice lucky hit, kid."

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A/N: And that's how they got their names, and how Yachiru became Kenpachi's guide. : )  
I don't really like this chapter as much as the others... oh well. This story will probably be a bunch of really short chapters, but I'll update as fast as I can. Sorry if you don't like short chapters, I don't. Please review, I'd love constructive criticism!


	4. Yachiru

Disclaimer: I love Bleach, but I don't own it. : (

Chapter 4: Yachiru やちる

by DemonicDragoness

A/N: This one is mostly information on the first Yachiru, and my version on how Kenpachi gets his scar. : )

_italicized text _in this chapter shows a flashback

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_  
A week later:_

Yachiru was around two when she died, and could walk, run, and talk. Kenpachi knew it would be many years before she would look three. On average soul children aged around a "year" every decade, but that was a _very_ loose average. Kenpachi himself had been rather fast at aging. He had also died young, even younger than Yachiru, at around eighteen months. He'd almost died again, starved, beaten, and with a bad fever from infected wounds, before the first Yachiru had found him and taken him in.

The first Yachiru had been intelligent. She'd been trained as a tutor for a rich family before they had been disgraced and their household beheaded. The sharp woman had shown him how to read, write, and speak correctly, as well as teaching him humility, respect, and determination. She also taught him the art of the sword, and infused in him a huge bloodlust and need to be stronger.

Then she had been killed by a group of jealous and angry Zaraki men. She had resisted their advances, and had a nasty habit of cutting off the ears of those who came too close to her for her comfort.

_The two of them were walking cautiously down a road in Zaraki. It was filthy: blood and dung ran freely in the gutters, drunk men traded blows in dank alleyways, and stains from countless years marred the cobblestones beneath their feet. The smell of human sat in the air, untouched by a single breeze; it was the reek of blood, sweat, and less pleasant things. Beggars approached them, but a single warning glance from Yachiru was enough to scare most away. Other, more persistent ones only retreated when she showed them her fully functional sword. They were both used to the horrors of Zaraki, the very worst of Rukongai's slums._

_"NOW!" Fast as viper, twenty men sprang form various alleys and rooftops. Before the two could even take another step, they were surrounded. A man with a deeply scarred face and no ears stepped forward. _

_"Well, well, well, deh pretteh bird's been caugh' in deh cage. Wotcha gonna do now, birdeh?" He leered at her, and she glared back._

_ "I guess I'll have to take an eye or your nose now. Looks like you don't have any ears left for me!" His face contorted into a snarl.  
_

_"Teme! I'll carve yer pretteh face 'tel yer cryen' fer merceh!" He lunged forward, sword in hand, only to be blocked by the thin "twelve-year-old" (who was actually around fifty,) who had been at Yachiru's side_.

_"Boy! You idiot, get out of here!" She shoved him out of the way._

_"No! He insulted you, I won't-"_

_"Shut up, yeh brat! Get outta deh weh! Scram, an' I won' even kill yeh. Yer not meh target."_

_"No! I won't let you insult Senpai!"_

_"Boy, go! You know my rules! I fight alone, so leave, and live to fight another day!"_

_"But-" A sword came slicing down. Only sheer luck and quick reflexes saved the boy's eye. A scar would forever remind him of his senpai's killer._

_"I tol' yeh tuh scram!"_

_"GO, boy!"_

_He left, but did not go home, watching through his from a rooftop as Yachiru cut down man after man, even as she slowly died from the many injuries now littering her body. At last she collapsed, and only three were left. With a roar he launched himself off the rooftop. The mens' last sight was of his glowing yellow eyes before he cut them down. He then scooped up Yachiru's still form, crying openly for the last time._

_"Don't cry, you idiot. Get stronger, so that you can make me proud. Get stronger, so you can fight. But don't cry, boy." She took her last breath, and the boy swore he would never,_ never_, fight ganging up on someone. Because how could he get strong like that?_

But Yachiru had never called him by a name. To her he was "boy." Kenpachi remembered the agony of being nameless, and gave his senpai's name to his new charge.

"Yachiru, come here." He beckoned to the toddler to come closer, and picked up two sticks. One he placed in her hand. He drew やちる.

"This is the hiragana for 'ya-chi-ru'. Now, you do it." He guided her clumsy fingers as the girl wrote her name in the dirt, on the floor of Kusajishi forest.

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A/N: Hmm, a little sappy. Oh well. Please review!


	5. Hiragana and Candy

Disclaimer: I love Bleach, but I don't own it. : (

Chapter 5: Hiragana and Candy

by DemonicDragoness

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_  
A month later_

Yachiru's hiragana lessons were going well. For a child her age, she was very bright. Much brighter than Kenpachi was, he seemed to recall. It had taken him over a month to master his own name, and he had started learning a year older than her, but Yachiru already had that down (though it _was_ rather messy,) and was working on the vowel characters. He decided she didn't need to write more than her name down yet, so he simply was teaching her to sound the characters out. The characters were spread out in the dirt in front of them.

"Yachiru, which one says 'ah'?" She pointed: あ. Kenpachi grunted affirmative before continuing.

"Which one says 'ee'?" In this way Yachiru learned. Early on in their relationship Kenpachi had found she had a huge sweet tooth. She was always up to a handful of berries, or, when he could get some, confetti candy. In the 77th district of Rukongai, where they were staying for the moment, he had managed to find a candy store.

"Come on, brat, lets go get somethin' to eat." She clapped her hands and reached up for him. He easily scooped her up and deposited her on his shoulder.

"Yay, Ken-chan!" A few people on the street gave them amused looks, but they soon looked away when "Ken-chan" glared at them. Despite Kenpachi's long strides they took a while to re-find the candy store. Nicely enough, it was also located next to a bar where Kenpachi planned to buy actual food. They entered the dim-lit, but suitably clean shop, noses assaulted by a sticky sweet scent.

"Such a cute baby!" A grandmotherly lady in a faded green kimono appeared next to the pair. She reached up as though to pinch Yachiru's cheek, but stopped when a sword appeared mere centimeters from her hand. The woman squeaked and hastily lowered her hand; she hadn't even seen him draw the weapon.

"Don't touch her." Kenpachi gave the lady a menacing glare. Yachiru reached out to touch the sword, which Kenpachi had been amused to find was fascinating to her, but he had already sheathed it. Before she could protest its disappearance he grabbed a bag of confetti candy and placed it on the store counter.

"¥120."

"No more than ¥55." She pursed her lips, but glanced at the sword at his hip and nodded. He gave her the coins and left, Yachiru happily gulping down the sugary treats.

"We'll be starting on the k sounds next. Looks like you've got the vowels covered. Good job, Yachiru."

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A/N: I love the idea of Ken-chan teaching. He'd be a good one, I know it! And I also believe Yachiru, under her hyper-go-luckiness, is very intelligent, hence the early learning age. I hope I didn't totally butcher the yen amounts in this context. But I can totally see Kenpachi cutting a price more than in half like that! Please review!


	6. Reiatsu

Disclaimer: I love Bleach, but I don't own it. : (

Chapter 6: Battles

by DemonicDragoness

A/N: I would like to explain that Kenpachi found Yachiru around 140 years before the "present" in cannon time. Therefore, this chapter is set around 130 years before the "present."

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_  
A Decade Later_

"Oi! Any of you scum wanna fight!"

Kenpachi lifted his head in interest. A burly man in a black kimono (obviously fine quality cloth, not from around here, the 72nd district) was lounging on the roof of a bar, shouting down to the passers-by. A spoilt shinigami brat coming down to Rukongai for a few kicks, he thought. However, the 11th division insignia strapped to his arm caught his eye. Vice-Captain, eh? Maybe he'd take up this shinigami's offer, a vice-captain was sure to give a good fight. He hadn't fought someone worth his time in years.

"Yachiru, scat. I'm going to fight."

"Yay! Go go Ken-chan!" With practiced ease Yachiru leaped down to the ground and clambered up the side of a nearby building. Like she was taught, she checked to make sure she was far enough away and that there were many escape routes. Satisfied with her post, she settled down to watch the spectacle below.

The two swordsmen were now facing one another on the dusty road. The people crowded around for a better position, keeping a respectful distance from the fighters. Kenpachi and the Vice-Captain appeared to be setting down rules.

"None of your shinigami Demon-Arts, just swords," Kenpachi growled. The other man nodded.

"That fine, 11th company doesn't bother with that crap anyway. But we have a rule: defeat means nothing less than death."

"Sounds perfect." replied the Zaraki man, grinning. The Vice-Captain smirked.

"Let's get this started." Suddenly the shinigami released a huge burst of spirit power. The crowd around them cried out. Most were sweating, some collapsing. Yachiru idly scratched her neck. _This_ was nothing compared to what she felt when Ken-chan let his reiatsu out. She could see him standing completely unbothered as he watched the shinigami sweat with the effort of gathering spiritual energy. The man grinned, expecting to see Kenpachi on his knees like all his other victims, but seeing his nonchalant posture, he faltered. The flow of reiatsu fluctuated.

"What, is _that_ it? Guess this _was_ a waste of my time. If that's how you want to play…" With that a flood of pure energy poured over the Vice-captain. To his utmost shame he was forced to his knees, just as his own victims had been. If those victims had seen it they probably would have sworn that, it was amazing, poetic justice _did _exist after all. Bored, and not interested in making the man suffer, Kenpachi quickly stabbed the man through the neck. He left him to bleed, and waded through the throngs of unconscious people to reach Yachiru. She quickly scrambled down the building and was soon at her usual perch on his shoulder.

"Come on, let's go. How disappointing. I thought I'd get a good fight." Yachiru scowled back at the shinigami's corpse and stuck out her tongue. He had put Ken-chan in a bad mood.

Far away, people at Seireitei were wondering what had just happened. Some unknown person had blasted out insane amounts of reiatsu. Furthermore, the reiatsu of the 11th's Vice-Captain had disappeared. A squad from the 9th division set out to investigate.

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A/N: And so the plot thickens... I don't like this chapter too much... Meh.

In some of the previous chapters I tried to put in hiragana, except I think it's come out looking a lot like question marks. Exactly like, in fact, so those unexplained ??s you might have seen were once hiragana. sigh

Sorry for my pause in updates. I had a case of writer's block and several other plot-bunnies demanded my attention. Speaking of plot bunnies... please visit my forum Plot Bunny Adoption Agency to drop off a plot bunny you want to see written (but can't write yourself) or stop by to adopt one if you're out of story ideas. It's new, so you likely won't find many bunnies yet. Just go to my profile page and click the forums link by my avatar. Thanks!

Please review!


	7. First Escape

**Disclaimer: I love Bleach, but I don't own it. :(**

**Chapter 7: First Escape  
**

**by DemonicDragoness**

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Tousen Kaname, a 9th division officer, was sickened by the cruel, blood-lust filled spiritual pressure that surrounded the 11th's dead fukutaicho. It was revolting, and made the blind man want to shy away in horror. However, he had a job to do. There was a trail of the same terrible reiatsu leading away from the sight.

"This way," he commanded. Despite the fact he was rather new, he was quickly climbing ranks. He believed that was because he was unusually sensitive to spiritual presence.

The squad followed his lead as he ran along the trail of reiastu, flash stepping most of the way, and nimbly dodging passers-by. It wasn't long before they found themselves in front of what appeared to be a tiny inn. They went inside, and one of the squad members waved over the inn girl.

"We'd like to speak to the owner, please," he said. The girl nodded, wide eyed, and disappeared into another room. Soon an unpleasant looking man came out and eyed them warily.

"Whad'ya want?" he asked, his voice gruff.

"We are looking for someone. We believe this person is currently located in this lodging house. May we look around?" said Tousen.

"What's in this for me?" Having predicted this, Tousen handed over a few yen bills. The inn owner took and counted then greedily. Then he pointed down a hall.

"I've got this really tall guy with a scar on his face an' some little girl in a room over there." The squad followed his directions and pushed open the screen door. There was a little pink-haired girl sleeping on a pallet on the floor. Another pallet lay empty. Suddenly there was a large man leveling a sword at them.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked. His voice was soft, but menacing.

"I am Tousen Kaname, leader of the 6th squad of the six wheels of the 9th division of the Gotei 13. We believe you had something to do with the murder of the 11th division's fukutaicho."

"Murder? Hardly," Kenpachi scoffed. "He came to Rukongai asking for a fight, so I gave him one. He even said that losing meant death. He lost."

"You fought Tatakai, "the one who makes all kneel," and won?!" whispered one of the squad. The others had unbelieving expressions on their faces.

"The guy was a wimp, blasting out all his spirit power. I killed him by making _him_ kneel instead." With all the noise, the little girl on the pallet had woken and sat up.

"Ken-chan?" she called out.

"Go back to sleep, Yachiru." The girl, Yachiru, shrugged and obeyed.

"Who's that, a girl you kidnapped?" asked one of the less bright squad members. Kenpachi shot him a withering glare. Yachiru, who heard, was the one to answer. Unnoticed, she had crept up and was brandishing a tiny sword at the man. When she spoke, the man jumped.

"Ken-chan saved me. You be nice to Ken-chan!" The man laughed.

"What are you going to do with that itty bitty sword?" Yachiru scowled, and then jumped up and sliced at the man's obi and hakama ties. His hakama fell around his ankles, revealing his loincloth. A thin, shallow, but bleeding scratch could be seen at his waist. He hastily hoisted up his clothing, face red, as Yachiru giggled herself silly.

"Good job, kid," praised Kenpachi. The shinigami gaped at him. This man was promoting violence to a child!

"Whether or not the fight was agreed upon by both parties, the killing of such a high ranking official cannot be ignored. Please come with us," said Tousen. Kenpachi snorted, and realizing what was going to happen, Yachiru stepped back.

"Like hell I'll come with you. It was a fair fight." Tousen's eyes narrowed.

"If you do not come peacefully, we will use force." Kenpachi grinned.

"That so? Great. Maybe I'll have some fun before I leave you guys." A split second later Kenpachi's much-used blade was flying towards Tousen's neck. He leaped back, bringing his own sword up to block.

"Call for reinforcements!"

"Yes, sir!" If he were a less imposing man, Kenpachi would have pouted like a child denied a treat. Yachiru did, however, when he motioned to her to get on his back.

"While usually I'd say, the more the merrier, I know I'm outclasses with so many officers on the way, and so soon after a fight. I'm afraid I'll have to say goodnight, for now."

"You're not getting away so easily!"

"Well, I was thinking of using the technique of that guy you were talking about, Tataki, or whatever." Suddenly, they all were frozen by the man's colossal reiatsu. Tousen felt sick, surrounded by its vile touch. Kenpachi swung his sword at the wall, which crumpled like rice-paper, letting moonlight pour in.

"Bye bye!" called Yachiru as they fled into the night.

Tousen cursed to himself as they recovered from massive reiatsu overdose. They couldn't even chase after him, due to the fact that their senses were running haywire, a common effect of being swamped by another's spirit power. After a while, the reinforcements arrived, and carried them away to be fixed up by the 4th division.

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A/N:I hope you like this chapter! PLEASE REVIEW

It doesn't even take a minute of your time, surely you can spare a minute to make someone's day brighter?  
Please?

P.S. If you read Harry Potter fanfics, please check out my profile.


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